Buhari to slash 42 ministries to 19

Kunle Awosiyan |

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the recommendation of the transition committee he set up a few weeks ago to slash the number of ministries from the present 42 to 19.

The president accepted the recommendation as part of his plans to reduce the cost of running government and make them more effective and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.

According to the recommendation some ministries, agencies and departments would be merged and top on the list of these parastatals are the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practice Commission, ICPC that will now stand as one agency.

With this new arrangement, no fewer than 50 of the MDAs that were not backed by relevant laws might be scrapped and their staff moved into relevant departments to save cost.

Also affected is the Ministry of Aviation and relevant agencies, which has been subsumed under Inland Waterways and associated agencies.

Similarly, the Ministry of Agriculture has been merged with that of Water Resources while only 19 ministers and 17 ministers of state would operate as opposed to the previous arrangement where there were at least 42.

This arrangement stipulates that ministers of state may not necessarily deputize for substantive ministers but would oversee major ministries.

A top source also said Buhari was expected to make some key appointments this week so as to get the machinery of his administration running.